BLAINESWORLD · Blaine Greenfield

4.7.2026 - Tessa Sternbach--Founder, Ruff Life Dog Training Services (www.rufflife.com)

April 7, 2026·37 min·3 clips

Tessa Steinbach pairs rescue dogs with prison inmates in a rehabilitation program that transforms lives.

1. Blaine's World Podcast host Blaine Greenfield interviews Tessa Sternbach, owner and head trainer of Rough Life Dog Training (roughlifeavl.com), based in the Asheville, North Carolina area. 2. Sternbach grew up in Jersey City with Dobermans and spent her early years as a veterinary technician and weekend shelter volunteer before pivoting to professional dog training. 3. The episode's core thesis is that practical, relationship-first training produces lasting results for both dogs and their owners, illustrated through Rough Life's programs. 4. Sternbach originally planned to be a veterinarian, but organic chemistry ended that path; she created a custom business-and-animal-behavior major at her Pennsylvania liberal arts college, intending to open a pet-friendly gym. 5. After moving to North Carolina in 2012 and working as a personal trainer, a client's referral led her to an apprenticeship at Wolf in the Woods in Fairview, where she trained for four years before launching Rough Life in 2018. 6. Rough Life's drop-off day-training program runs Tuesday through Thursday and every other Monday, accommodating up to 12 dogs per day across structured skill tracks including basic obedience, public manners, and grooming desensitization. 7. Only about eight of those 12 dogs are in active training at a time; the others support structured play groups, providing social experience while trained dogs learn to focus. 8. Sternbach's seven-week Rough Starters group class builds on a foundational philosophy she calls 'be the party for your dog,' which uses treats, toys, and affection to make the owner the most rewarding presence in the dog's world. 9. Each Rough Starters week adds a new skill — place command, leash walking, coming when called — and culminates in a week-seven graduation where owners demonstrate progress and dogs receive a cap and certificate. 10. As trainer for the New Leash on Life program, Sternbach works with rescue dogs sent by Charlie's Angels Animal Rescue to the Western Correctional Facility for Women in Swannanoa, where dogs spend at least eight weeks learning obedience and taking public outings. 11. The prison program serves a secondary function: because Sternbach learns each dog's temperament in depth, she can advise prospective adopters on whether a specific dog suits families with children, high-activity lifestyles, or low-energy households. 12. When asked whether any dog is untrainable, Sternbach says no dog is truly untrainable but that some owner-dog pairings are a poor match — citing owners who expect high-drive German Shepherds or Australian Shepherds to behave like lapdogs. 13. She describes a client who adopted a 90-pound doodle with a documented history of aggression toward cats; after roughly two years of work, the dog now lives peacefully with cats in the home. 14. Hurricane Helene destroyed Rough Life's original training facility on Thompson Street near the former Brother Wolf Animal Rescue location; the current facility has been open for just over a year, and Sternbach is still rebuilding from 18 staff members to her current team of four. 15. Before the hurricane, Rough Life processed roughly 40 dogs per day; Sternbach says the current scale of around 12 dogs per day is actually her preferred model and that she intends to expand by opening two or three smaller locations in Hendersonville, Weaverville, or other Asheville-area communities. 16. Sternbach says she has a 12-year-old dog who remains the most eager learner among her three personal dogs — a Chihuahua aged 9, a 40-pound mutt aged 12, and an 85-pound Anatolian Shepherd — plus a current foster named Duke, a 30-pound one-year-old mutt available through Stella's Sanctuary. 17. The interview has a warm, conversational tone with frequent tangents, including a live baby cameo from Sternbach's 18-month-old son and on-air button-pressing by the infant. 18. Greenfield draws on his own experience as a first-time dog owner with his dog Bodie to ground the questions in relatable beginner concerns like pee-pad training and cat introductions. 19. Dog owners in the Asheville area seeking practical obedience training or owners curious about how professional trainers structure programs will find this episode most useful. 20. Listeners looking for in-depth discussion of training theory, behavioral science, or content beyond the western North Carolina region may find the local focus limiting.

As heard by us

A grounded look at dog training, rescue work, and finding the right fit for a real home.

Blaine's conversation with Tessa Steinbach keeps its focus on dog training that has to hold up in ordinary homes. Tessa says she has been training dogs since 2014 and founded Rough Life in 2018, and the strongest moments are the ones that tie rescue work, foster dogs, and…

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You want straight talk before bringing a dog home.

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